Secrets
by SummerMelodies
Summary: Everyone you see has a backstory, one which changed them and forced them to grow. Even 'perfect' people have stories, they're just good at hiding them, this includes the Victorious Gang. Read to find out what these stories are, and how they are discovered.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N Each section of this chapter is dedicated to a different character. Please don't just ready your favourite character's part... cause they mostly all intertwine with each other. But I understand if you don't.)  
**.

 **Also, I tried re-reading over it for errors... but I'm wayyyy too lazy for that. So sorry if you find any errors but hopefully you can read though them.**

* * *

Hollywood Arts High School. This was the place where dancers, actors, musicians, singers, and all round performers were made; any teen luckily enough to get into this school was very talented and practically had their lives set for greatness. This didn't always necessarily mean that these teens were perfect though, everyone had a backstory, like the rest of the world does I guess. I think the point I'm trying to make here is that even though these kids might be talented, at the end of the day they were just kids.

There was this one group at the school, the popular gang. They may have only been Juniors, but even the Seniors knew who they were and admired them. It was a little strange really, the gang of misfits becoming popular, but in Hollywood Arts, no one really follows the societal norm, a ventriloquist could be one of the most popular boys in school if he wanted- _oh yeah, he was._

* * *

Robbie

Robert Matthew Shapiro had a very normal backstory. _Oh wait_ \- no he didn't. He had a backstory filled with murder and grief. Not his own murder, obviously, and not murder at his own hand. The murder, or 'man slaughter' as the judge put it of one of his family members.

Robbie always had Rex by his side. Rex was pretty much his best friend, Rex was his brother. No, not the puppet he carried around, that was Rex Powers. Rex Shapiro was a living, breathing boy. Big emphasis there on was.

Rex Shapiro, or Reginald to his Mamaw, was Robbie's big brother. Growing up, the two were inseparable, not seeming to care about the 4 and a half year age gap between them. The two were attached at this hip, figuratively of course. That was until the murder, wait no 'manslaughter', sorry. To Robbie and his family, that man was a murderer. A murderer who drunk that night, who swerved that car into Rex's car. It was him that ended that 16 year old's life. That 16 year old who had only just gotten a licence, and was urging said license to go and surprise his North-Ridge girlfriend.

That night changed 12 year old Robbie's life. Forever.

Weeks after that night, his family was still grieving, and Robbie still waited at the door for his big brother to come home. And one day... he did. Well, no he didn't. A Rex came home, a puppet Rex which Robbie's father had seen on his way home from work. The puppet had the same scruffy black hair as Robbie's brother, and even the same ruggish styled clothing. To this day, Robbie doesn't know what store his dad was in to end up seeing this puppet, but in all honestly he doesn't care. All he knows is that his brother came home.

For years, Robbie practised copying his brother's voice and personality, even getting down his signature 'ha' rather a full blown laugh. The reincarnation of Rex was a blessing to the family, especially Robbie's grieving mother. At dinner time, his mother would forget of her son's passing and accident set 4 places at the table, rather than 3. On nights like this, Robbie would put his puppet in the place, to show his mother that Rex was still with them.

To everyone else though, the puppet was just strange, and it made Robbie strange. No one ever cared to ask why Robbie carried him around. So Robbie never told them.

* * *

Beck

"MY HOUSE! MY RULES!" Beckett Oliver's drunker father screamed at his teenage son, shoving him over backwards.

"Well maybe I don't want to live under your roof anymore!" Beck screamed back, jumping up and running away from his father, and out the door of his home.

And with that, begun the story of why Beck lived in an RV in his parent's driveway. To get away from this alcoholic man, who everyone else called his dad. Beck called him the sperm donor that conceived him. All he wanted in life was to become an actor, so he had enough money to take his Mom away from that man, and support her until her dying days. Until then, however, Beck just had to wait. His Mom refused to leave her husband, and Beck refused to move back into the house again. So he just spent his life waiting in his RV, listening for the yells, and then running into the house to protect his Mom from the violence. Almost every night would end the same. Beck's mother crying over her little boy, begging for him to stop protecting her, that she had it all sorted. And every night he'd tell her to leave her husband. And every night, she's tell him that she couldn't do that, that her vows were clear 'Through sickness and health, for ever and ever' and that she would never break him.

The only person who knew any of this, was his girlfriend Jade West. Jade was the love of his life. The lover who shared his messed up upbringing. An upbringing detoured by a drunken mess.

* * *

Jade

That's right, Jade's life wasn't perfect either. This story brings a lot of surprises like this unfortunately. However, Jade did manage to get rid of her drunken father, well _she_ didn't. Her father did it to himself. One night he'd drunk way too much, got into his car, and crashed it into another. Apparently it was a 16 year old boy who he killed, resulting in a 10 year jail sentence for her father.

Growing up without a dad is tough, even harder when you find out he ended a life on the way out. Jade never found out who it was that her father killed, and she didn't want to know, it would only add to the guilt she felt. You see, Jade was convinced that she was the reason why her father drunk. She had to have been, her disrespectful and rude attitude must had pushed him towards it. Her mother tried to convince her otherwise, but the message never got through, Jade blames herself for what he did, and the life he ended because of it. She was a murderer, and no amount of therapy would solve that.

"Jade, darling." Her mother would tell her daughter. "Please don't keep shutting me out." Jade would always ignore her mother, shutting the door in her face, literally (and figuratively). "I love you baby girl." Her Mom would say though the closed door.

"I love you too." Jade would reply, this is how it had to be. Jade didn't want her mother to get too close to her and end up the same was as her father did. This is why Jade didn't want anyone near her in fact, hence the door. She didn't want them to be driven away by her too. Slouching back against her wall, Jade's mind suddenly flooded with a memory from her childhood, the same memory which corrupted her mind on a daily basis:

 _12 year old Jade was sat crying in her room, after running away from her drunken father. She could still hear the screams of her parents downstairs as her body wracked with each sob, praying for it to end soon. She grabbed her phone to play music to drown it out- it was around this time where Jade discovered the sadder and more 'emo'/'goth' songs that shaped her style and personality. Clicking one of the newer songs she discovered, Jade began to play it and sing along to the lyrics:_

 _"_ _Four years old_

 _With my back to the door_

 _All I could hear_

 _Was the family war_

 _Your selfish hands_

 _Always expecting more_

 _Am I your child?_

 _Or jut a charity award?_

 _You have a hollowed out heart but it's heavy in your chest_

 _I tried so hard to fight it but it's hopeless_

 _Hopeless_

 _You're hopeless_

 _Oh father, please father_

 _I'd love to leave you alone but I can't let you go_

 _Oh father, please father_

 _Put the bottle down for the love of a daughter"_

 _As the chorus came to an end, the fighting seemed to have stopped. Jade turned off the music and she heard the front door slam and her father scream at his wife as he drove away down the road. That was the last time Jade heard her her father's voice, and she wasn't sure if she was happy about it or not._

 ** _(A/N Song is D_** ** _emi Lovato -For The Love Of A Daughter.)_**

The flashback finished replaying in Jade's mind, but the song was still playing in her head. Putting her headphones on, Jade clicked the song and scrolled along to the 2nd Verse, continuing from where the memory cut off. As the lyrics began, Jade started to sing alone, emotion dripping from each word, pouring from her mouth. Her matured vocals emphasised the passage of time from her younger years, perfectly fitting the first line:

" _It's been five years_

 _Since we've spoken last_

 _And you can't take back_

 _What we never had_

 _Oh, I can be manipulated only so many times_

 _Before even "I Love You"_

 _Starts to sound like a lie_

 _You have a hollowed out heart but it's heavy in your chest_

 _I tried so hard to fight it but it's hopeless_

 _Hopeless_

 _You're hopeless_

 _Oh father, please father_

 _I'd love to leave you alone but I can't let you go_

 _Oh father, please father_

 _Put the bottle down for the love of a daughter_

 _Don't you remember I'm your baby girl?_

 _How could you push me our of your world?_

 _Lied to your flesh and your blood_

 _Put your hands on the ones that you swore you loved_

 _Don't you remember I'm your baby girl?_

 _How could you throw me right out of your world?_

 _So young when the pain had begun_

 _Now forever afraid of being loved_

 _Oh father_

 _Please father_

 _I'd love to leave you alone but I can't let you go_

 _Oh father_

 _Please father_

 _Oh father_

 _Please father_

 _Put the bottle down for the love of a daughter_

 _For the love of a daughter"_

* * *

Cat

' _Finally_ ,' I bet you're thinking ' _a happy story_ '. Hahahahaha NOPE! The story of Caterina Valentine might just be the worst of the group. An orphaned girl raising her mentally impaired little brother, working 2 jobs while still at Highschool.

' _Wait, since when was Cat an orphan?_ ' Since she turned 14, during the summer before her attendance at Hollywood Arts. ' _But... all those stories of her parents, and the trips-_ ' All lies. Every single story about them. Everything about Cat Valentine was a lie. She was constantly fighting an internal struggle to keep a smile on her face. Oh how she wished they could see through the lies, through the facade of rainbows and cupcakes. To see the real Cat.

To be honest, considering the circumstances, Cat and her brother were quite lucky. You see, after her parents had died Cat had gone straight out to look for work, knowing that the money she'd gotten for selling the house would only last for short amount of time. After about a week of sleeping in a motel, Cat had stumbled across this small Cafe with a 'Hiring' sign in the window. 14 year old Cat had walked right in and asked for the job. Originally, the two owners (an old couple by the names of Jane and Mark Cuire) were wary of employing the small teen, but once they heard Cat's story they hired her straight away. Actually, they did more than that.

Unfortunately, Mr and Mrs Cuire were not very rich and didn't have a big house, so they couldn't offer Cat and her brother a place in their home, however they did own the small apartment above the Cafe. Cat would work in the Cafe after school every weekday for a few hours to earn enough money for the owners to pay the bills for the apartment, sometimes her brother would help, but that was quite rare. Also, on Saturdays Cat would work in a local salon to get enough money for food, because they couldn't last on the left over cafe pastries.

"Kitty." Her 9 year old brother Sammy spoke up from his place on the carpet in the corner of the apartment where he was reading a very large book from the local library. Sammy was a very smart boy, set for Harvard one day his sister believed, but maybe too smart sometimes. Sammy was very capable of keeping himself entertained, but would very often forget about the world around him and end up getting into trouble because of it. This was all because of his Autism. Cat hated that label with a passion, sure Sammy may be a little different, but he would work it out it all in time, in his own way. They'd just take the scenic route to get there.

"Yeah?" Cat yawned as she cleaned up the kitchen after the meal she'd just prepared for her brother.

"You going to eat today?" He looked up at her, with the same big brown puppy eyes that Cat herself used on others.

"I had some stuff in the Cafe." Cat replied.

"Promise?" Sammy asked.

"I promise baby boy." Cat smiles, lifting her brother up from the floor and onto his chair.

"I know you're lying." Sammy whispered in his sister's ear before she placed him down.

"I-." Cat started, before shaking her head and walking away. Okay, he might have been right, but she just didn't have time to eat today, and it's not like they could afford the two meals. She had school till 3:30, then pick up Sammy from school and take him home, before starting her work at the Cafe until 6:30pm, where she went up to the apartment to cook Sammy his food and make sure everything went well in his day. Sammy didn't always like being on his own for those few hours after school but he understood why his sister couldn't be home, and that he needed to always be on his best behaviour when she wasn't there. He didn't mind the Saturdays morning when Cat worked in a local hair salon, because she was allowed to take him with her and let him sit in the staff room with a big book to read. The salon owner was nice like that, she also dyed Cat's hair for free every month or so. It was her way of giving Cat a moment of relaxation and a luxury she otherwise wouldn't be able to afford, it was a little random, but to Cat it meant the world.

"Love you Sammy." Cat kissed her brother on the forehead, stroking his dark brown hair.

"Love you too Catty." He said back, in between pasta slurps.

* * *

Andre

"Andre!" His grandma screamed at him. "It's raining in the bathroom!"

"You just turned on the shower!" Her grandson yelled back.

 _'...That was... weird._ ' You're probably thinking, well to everyone else it would be, but to Andre Harris this was a normal day in his world. A normal day off looking after his mentally ill grandma who seemed to have an irrational fear over everything. Rabbis, bikinis, breakfast foods, vacuum cleaners, the seven year old next door, car horns, clocks changing, mirrors, and web chats were just a few to name the least. _'Web chats?'_ Trust me, once she punched André's laptop twice, causing the camera to shatter, because she'd thought Beck was stuck in the laptop when the two boys were discussing the improv homework together.

The question should now be ' _Why isn't she in a care home, and why is Andre living with her?_ ' The simple answer there is guilt. Similarly to Jade, Andre is wracked by an irrational guilt over something he had no control over, you see Andre believed that he is the cause of his Grandma's fears, and that it is him who should be looking after her and facing the consequences.

' _What did he do?'_ Could you stop mentally asking questions please, I'll get there eventually- oh you know what I've lost track now, well done. I'll just say it now then *sighs*.

Imagine an 8 year old Andre Harris in the garden of his grandmas house with his little sister Poppy, running around together and enjoying the innocents of childhoods:

 _"Andre!" Poppy screamed at her brother. "You stole my teddy!"_

 _"Andre." His grandma yelled at him from her lawn chair. "Give your sister her teddy back!"_

 _"No!" Andre replied stubbornly pulling the bear towards his chest._

 _"Andre." His grandma warned._

 _"You're no fun!" Andre yelled, throwing the bear upwards in a fit of anger, accidentally getting it caught in a branch in the tree above them._

 _"BEAR-BEAR NO!" Poppy cried, tears openly running down her face now._

 _"I-" Andre stuttered. "I'm sorry, I'll go and get it Poppy."_

 _"You will keep two feet firmly on the ground." His grandma warned. "I'm going to go and get the ladder, then you will go straight to bed."_

 _"But I-"_

 _"On the ground." She repeated, standing from her chair and going into the house to get the step ladder._

 _"I'll get it Poppy." Andre tried to comfort his crying sister by rushing over to the large tree base and pushing his body up it._

 _"But Grandma said-"_

 _"I need to show that I'm sorry." Andre said back, climbing his way up the trunk and slowly walking across one of the big branches._

 _"Andre Leon Harris!" His grandmother yelled once she returned with the step ladder, seeing her grandson tightrope walking along a branch._

 _"Ah!" Andre jumped in shock, falling straight off of the branch and onto his left arm._

 _"ANDRE!" His grandma screamed, rushing over to her grandson, and trying to help him off his sore arm._

 _"I think I broke it." Andre cried out, tears streaming down his face._

And so begun the irrational fears. It started with her thinking trees were a dangerous hazard. And then it spread to garden. Then the outside world. Then everyone in it. And it was all his fault.

By the time Andre turned 14, he'd begged his parents to let him live with his Grandma - to look after her. As the family couldn't afford a carer for her ever-growing problems, they reluctantly agreed. On the weekends the whole family would help him out, but apart from that it would just be Andre and his Grad, and that's the way it was.

* * *

Tori

' _Dear Diary_ ,' Tori Vega wrote down in her private purple notebook. ' _It's been a year today, and I'd be lying if I said it was easy. Without Mom, everyday's been a struggle, well you know that, I've written it all down here. I miss her so much, but she left by choice, and I guess I'm meant to hate her for that. I do hate her but I'm scared because of her. Scared that I'll end up like her too, abandoning my future children, it's in my DNA right. I wrote another part of a song about her today, I know I shouldn't keep thinking about what she did, but music's my outlet. Who knows, one day I might be able to put all these bits together and make a full song. Here ya go_ :

 _'Hate to say hello 'cause I know that it means goodbye_

 _Hate to ask but what's it like to leave me behind?_

 _I won't be, no I won't be like you_

 _Fighting back, I'm fighting back the truth_

 _Eyes like yours can't look away_

 _But you can't stop DNA_

 _No, you can't stop DNA_

 _Are the pieces of you_

 _In the pieces of me?_

 _I'm just so scared_

 _You're who I'll be_

 _When I erupt_

 _Just like you do_

 _They look at me_

 _Like I look at you'_

 _ **(A/N Originally from DNA by**_ ** _Lia Marie Johnson)_**

' _While I was writing that all down, I heard Trina start yelling at dad_.' Tori wrote down ' _I think she just worked out what day it is. I better see what's going on.'_ She scribbled down before running down the stairs to her kitchen to stop whatever fight was brewing between her dad and sister.

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT SHE RAN OFF FOR MY WORK PARTNER TRINA!" Her dad screamed at her sister. "STOP BLAMING ME!"

"I'm not blaming you!" Trina yelled back. "I'm telling you to get help! Tori and I- we lost our mom, we can't loose you too Dad."

"You aren't going to loose me Katrina!" He yelled, using his daughter's full name. "I'm doing fine!"

"Dad." Tori cut in, making my presents known. "We both know you haven't slept in days."

"I don't need the two of you telling me what to do." Her dad snapped back, quickly grabbing his coat and keys. "I'm going to work."

"But its 6pm." Trina reasoned. "You need to stop burying yourself in work."

"I can do what I want." He shot back.

"But we need you Dad." Tori cried as her father stormed out of the house. "Dad!" She called out, collapsing to her knees.

"It'll be okay Tori." Trina comforted her sister, sitting beside her and pulling her into a hug. "It'll be okay. Remember, the best thing Mom ever taught us is what we learned when she left: you can only rely on yourself. And me."

And that's the motto we live by.

* * *

So now you know the stories of the popular gang of Hollywood Arts. And I'll tell you something else, none of the gang knows of each others secrets, excluding Beck and Jade who know snippets of how the other lives. To the others, the rest of the gang seem to have a perfect life, unbeknownst to the masks they hide behind. Something is coming to change that all though, and none of them are expecting it.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, the aforementioned 'gang' were sat in their regular spot in the Asphalt Café at Hollywood Arts, eating their lunch. Of course their table was the best seat in the school: in good view of the outdoor stage, while still close to the Grub Truck; the table was slightly on it's own for privacy, but not too far from the others so that they weren't loners; and it was perfectly in the shade, but still close to the sunlight so that it wasn't dark. This table was normally claimed by Seniors, but in Freshman year, while on one of her rants, Jade managed to scare away the regulars, and claimed the table for her friends.

"Cat." Robbie nudged the red-head beside him, who'd just fallen asleep on the table during their lunch break.

"Wha- Oh hi hi." Cat smiled at the curly haired boy beside her, as she sat upright. "What'd I miss?"

"You've been falling asleep a lot recently." Tori pointed out, ignoring Cat's question.

"I'm tired." Cat yawned, using her hand to politely cover her mouth. "You know with homework and all."

"That's 'cause you do it at midnight." Beck pointed out, raising an eyebrow and leaning his arm on the table. "You do know there is that space of time between school and midnight, you could do it then."

"Yeah I guess." Cat laughed, internally screaming over how she had no time due to work.

"No she cant, she's always 'busy'." Jade mocked, putting air quotes around the word. "She tells us that every time we want to go out anywhere."

"She came out with us last week." Robbie butted in.

' _Yeah, and I had to leave Jane and Mark low on staff.'_ Cat thought to herself. ' _Luckily Sammy was at a friends house, that's the only reason I went.'_

 _"_ For the first time in forever." Jade shot back. "Come on Cat, what are you really doing after school?" Jade interrogated the red-head, raising an eyebrow when she began to pale slightly.

"Back off will you." Tori snapped at the goth. "You don't need to know what she does 24/7."

"Maybe I do." Jade growled. "With that crazy brother of her's I'm starting to get curious." Jade took a sip of her drink, smirking.

"Sammy is not crazy." Cat hissed under her breath. In all honesty though, Jade was right to think of him in that way, Cat does periodically tell them strange (and slightly over exaggerated stories) about him, so that they'd maybe not want to visit her house. This is also why she puts on that hyper and ditsy personality, so that people would think she was annoying and hopeful not want to spend too much time with her and not want to go to her home. It was a lonely way to live, but it worked... mostly. There were some times where the gang wanted to go to visit her, but through manipulation and cancellation Cat managed to convince them otherwise, keeping her home life a secret.

"Are you sure about that? Didn't you say he pretend to be a dinosaur like 3 days ago?" Jade snapped.

"He'd just read a book about them." Cat pouted, looking away from Jade and down at her watch. "I'd better go to Art class now." She jumped up from the table and skipped away.

"Go on then!" Jade yelled after her, causing people from other tables too look over at her. "Run off Valentine."

"Woah." Beck breathed. "What was that sudden outburst about?"

"She's avoiding something." Jade replied, looking at her boyfriend. "1. She has Improv next the rest of us. 2. Class doesn't start for 20 minutes."

"Either way." Andre cut in. "You never yell at Cat."

"Well she deserved." Jade growled, stabbing her abandoned salad with her fork.

"Is everything okay?" Tori asked Jade, looking at her with sincerity. "You don't seem-"

"I'm fine!" Jade yelled, storming away in the same direction Cat had gone.

"Something's telling me she's not okay." Rex spoke up, beside a slightly scared Robbie.

"Nah Chiz." Andre replied sarcastically.

"I'll go see what's up with her." Beck said, standing up and clearing away his and Jade's discarded lunches, before leaving to follow his girlfriend.

* * *

Jade POV

"Jade!" I heard Beck's voice echo around the Black Box Theatre as he walked in.

The words _"He won't find me here._ " Kept echoing around my head, from my position behind the black-out curtains.

"I can see your shoes." He said pointedly.

"Damn it!" I near-yelled, looking down at my bright blue shoes which were pointing out the bottom of the curtains. "The one day I don't wear black."

"You gonna tell me what'd wrong Babe?" Beck asked me, pushing away the curtains that 'hid' me.

Lying won't get me anywhere, so I sighed an told him the truth. "Tonight... I'm going to see my dad in jail."

"Really?" He looked at me, sympathy in his eyes.

"Don't give me that look." I batted him away. "My Mom finally got to me, she's been begging for months for me to join her. She still hasn't forgiven him yet either, you know that, but apparently hes been asking to see me during their weekly calls and bi-yearly visits. She says he's better now, I call bullshit on that."

"Let's sit." Beck guided me toward the rows of chairs facing the stage and at down on the two in the back corner. "Now, I'm not going to be much help in this, 'cause I haven't forgiven my own dad yet, but your dad's been clean for how long?"

"5 years." I replied. "But that's because they don't allow alcohol in jail."

"As soon as he's out- if he's ever out, he'll be back to his old ways. 'Cause I'm still here." A signal tear cascaded down my face.

"We've gone over this 1000 time Jade." Beck comforted, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb. "It's not your fault."

"I know." I sighed. "You always try to make me believe my dad was the bad one."

"What do you mean? He is."

"That he was an awful person who left us, who left me and left Mom. A couple more felonies and he could be President. **(A/N sorry but hehe)**. But still, a shrink might even say that sometimes I thought it was my fault."

"It's never been your fault Jade." Beck said back to me, pulling me close into a hug. "We both know that drinking is the fault of who does it, and their mental state. Remember, my dad drinks too, does that mean I'm the fault of his drinking?"

"No." I replied quickly. "Of course not, he-"

"Then why does that mean you're the cause of his?" Beck cut me off.

"I-" I started, cutting myself off with a loss for words.

"We'll get through this together." He stroked my hair lovingly.

A loud crash interrupted us, making me quickly pull away from my boyfriend's arms. "Who's there?" I called out to the theatre. "Come out!" I pulled out my scissors threateningly, walking into the centre of the room.

"Jade." Beck said, walking over to try and calm me.

"No!" I yelled back at him. "Someone knows my secret, and yours to some extent. This person need to know not to eavesdrop on me!" I turned back to the room. "COME OUT!"

"I'm s...sorry Jade." The voice of the unknown person spoke up, walking out the beck of the wall prop they'd been hiding behind.

"Cat?"


	3. Chapter 3

No POV

"Cat?" Beck asked the small red-headed girl who'd just made her presence known to them.

"I'm sorry." She stuttered out. "I was just sat in here and-"

"Were you crying?" Jade asked, discarding her scissors.

"I stopped when you came in." Cat admitted, backing away towards the door slightly. "I didn't mean to be eavesdropping." She mumbled.

"It's okay." Jade sighed. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"That didn't make me cry." Cat admitted. "Um... Jade. Since when was your dad in jail?"

"Cat." Beck warned, knowing his girlfriend didn't like to talk about it.

"It's okay." Jade sighed again. "I may as well tell her. Just...Cat?"

"Yeah?" The smaller girl replied timidly.

"When I say 'Don't tell anyone this' I'm not kidding. I won't hesitate to hurt you if you do." Jade smiled sweetly, with a hint of serious psychopathy.

"I promise." Cat replied honestly, slightly worried about Jade's threat, but still walking towards the goth. Beck pulled out two chairs for the girls and they sat in a triangular formation in the rows of black chairs.

"It all started when I was 12..." Jade started.

* * *

Half an hour later, the trio were late for class but still sat in the Black Box, and now Cat knew about the couple's problematic home lives: everything from Beck's abusive father to Jades's imprisoned one. Everything that ever happened to them as a result of the drinking, and how they coped with it. Evert secret that the two spilt, Cat felt honoured to be trusted with, and even slightly open to telling her own secret. But every time she thought about opening her mouth, and invincible force stopped her.

"I think we should get to Sikowitz now." Jade pointed out, wiping away the last of her tears.

"Kay kay." Cat smiled kindly at the goth, helping her to her feet. "Thank you for trusting me. Both of you." She looked between the two.

"Don't worry about it Cat." Beck smiled back, slightly confused about Cat's calm and serious persona.

"Come on then." Jade motioned for the others to follow her, so she lead them the whole way to Sikowitz's improv classroom.

"Beck, Jade, Cat." Sikowitz said from his desk, where he was sat with his feet up and sipping coconut milk through a straw, as if he were waiting for the trio to walk in. "Where have you been?"

Cat instantly flipped her personality from the serious and comforting one onto the hyper and ditsy one that her friends knew. "Hehe." She giggled adorably. "I thought we had art next, so I went to the art classroom and was waiting for my teacher to come in. I'd told Jade and Beck that'd I'd be going there, and they realised so-" She rambled away, causing the class to simultaneously roll their eyes at her.

"I get it Cat." Sikowitz cut her off impatiently. "Sit in your seats you three." He commanded.

"Did you see that change?" Jade whispered to her boyfriend. "It was like she switched on the hyper."

"I did." Beck whispered back. "Her eyes lit up too, not in a good way though, like she was using it as a cover."

"Jade, Beck and Cat." Sikowitz interrupted the two. "I've changed my mind, stand up." They trio reluctantly did. "As punishment for being late, you'll do a speed round of Alphabetical Improvisation! Tori, Robbie, Rex, and Andre you will join them."

"But we weren't late." Rex spoke up.

"That doesn't start with an A." Sikowitz said. "Rex you're out. Robbie 'A' Go!."

"Apples!" Robbie said randomly, trying to recover it by pointing off of the stage into the 'distance'.

"Bananas." Cat joined, giggling.

"Can't be either of them, it's green." Andre interrupted.

"Didn't you know that apples could be green?" Tori asked.

"Even I knew that." Cat added.

"Fruit doesn't look like that." Beck squinted at the 'distance'

"Gotta be a bird or something." Jade said.

"Hard to tell."

"Indeed." Robbie said. "That tree on the island is very far away."

"GETTING BORED!" Sikowitz interrupted the group.

"Just be patient." Jade said to the teacher.

The letter 'K' was next, leaving the group momentarily silent.

"Kay kay." Cat answered. "Sorry for being impatient." She Jade's comment onto her, relieving group though the use of her catchphrase (hahaha **Cat** chphrase... sorry.)

"Limes!" Tori cut in randomly. "The thing on the trees could be limes."

"Do limes grow on trees?" Andre asked allowed.

"You're out Andre." Sikowitz said, motioning for Andre to sit down. "Your letter was M. Beck go."

"Maybe we should just o over an see what it is." BEck said.

"Not without a boat. It's an island." Jade replied sarcastically.

"Only we would get stranded on an island next to the one with fruit." Robbie spoke up. "This couldn't be any worse."

"Pirates could make this worse." Cat pointed out

"Quite a bit so." Jade commented.

"Rrrr." Beck said, in a piracy accent. "I am a pirate.

"Stay back-" Tori started before being interrupted by the classroom door opening.

"Cat." Lane said, walking into the class. "We got a call from your brother's school they need you to pick him up. They said they tried calling your parents but they didn't answer.

"Oh right." Cat paled slightly, of course they didn't work. Those numbers were fakes, just put on his heath form so that teachers weren't concerned. "Thanks Lane." She walked over to her bag, grabbed her stuff and leaving the classroom quickly.

"That was random." Robbie said after the Red-head left.

"And not the first time that's happened. Jade said.

"Your letter was 'U' Jade." Sikowitz pointed out. "You're out."

"I don't care." Jade snapped back, walking over to her chair and sitting down.

* * *

"I'm Cat Valentine's" Cat said to the Elementary School receptionist. "I'm here to pick up my brother."

"Sam?" The lady asked, after Cat nodded she let Cat through the doors to where her brother was sat on a cushioned chair with his head in his hands.

"What happened Sammy?" Cat asked, crouching down to her brother's level. Cat having to pick her brother up early wasn't a completely abnormal experience.

"Loud classroom." He said blunting, rocking back and forth slightly. "I hid under the table."

"You're okay now Sammy." Cat wrapped her left arm around her brother. "It was just a sensory overload."

"Uhuh." He buried his head into his sister's side.

"Look." Cat said, pulling a few coins out of her pocket. "I got more tips than normal at the Cafe yesterday. Would you like a ice-cream?"

"Yes please." Sammy whispered to his sister.

"Come on then, we have half an hour before I need to be at work, I'll get you own and then drive you home."


	4. Chapter 4

Jade POV

A few hours later in the reception of the prison

"We're here to see Jeremy West." My Mom said to one of the guards, showing her visitors badge. "Prisoner 2-F-5-8-7."

"How are you related?" The guard asked back.

"Daughter and wife." She pointed at me and then herself.

"Go in." The guard replied, unlocking a mental bolted door for us. Walking in, we were greeted by a grey room of small tables with two chairs on one side and one on the other. Another guard lead us down the isles of families talking to their fathers, husbands or sons, and motioned for us to sit in the two empty seats opposite another empty seat. As I sat down I saw him approach us, with a guard close behind, my father. His green eyes, which matched mine, stood out to me first. I haven't seen them in years, and even then they were bloodshot from his drinking. His hair looked shorter than I remembered, but I guess prisons don't have proper barbers.

"Jade." He said to me as I sat down opposite us.

"Hey dad." I choked out, not meeting his eyes.

"My little girl, well not so little anymore." He replied, smiling slightly. "I can't believe it. It's been-."

"Almost 5 years." I cut him off.

"And Amber." He looked over to my mother. "I haven't seen you in 6 months." He sighed. "I missed you both."

"Then you shouldn't have left." I shot back.

"I'm sorry Jade." He said sincerely. "It was all my fault."

"I'm sorry too I-"

"You didn't do anything." He shook his head at me. "I turned your back on you, and your mother. I was selfish. It's my fault." I could see tears forming in his eyes. "And I'm paying for it now." He wiped his eyes on his orange sleeve. "Your mother tells me you got into Hollywood Arts."

"A few years ago." I looked away from him again.

"I know." He sighed, "I've missed so much. But how is it there?"

"It's good." I said bluntly. "I've got a few friends."

"What about a boyfriend?" He raised an eyebrow jokingly.

I nodded. "Beck's the best."

"As long as he treats your right."

"He does."

For most of the visit, I sat there watching my parents talk, speaking up when they directed questions at me. Maybe I should join Mom on her visits more often, or call him on the phone. I spent 5 years of my life resenting this man, and feeling guilty over what he did. But maybe he is getting better. Maybe after his sentence is over, I'll have my dad back.

"I'm gonna be honest it's not great here." Dad replied to my Mom's questions over how it was in there. "But it's what I deserve." He sighed. "There isn't a day that goes by where I don't regret my actions of that day. I wish that I didn't drink too much, and most of all I wish I didn't end the life of that boy. His name haunts me every day, 'Rex Shapiro, Rex Shapiro.' He mimed the voices floating around him.

"Rex Shapiro?" I asked, my mouth going dry. They can't have any connection to Robbie, they can't.

I saw my father's eyes go slightly wide. "You haven't told her?" He asked my Mom.

"I didn't want her to know the boy's name. It's okay though, she's old enough now." She replied.

"Sorry Darling." He said sincerely. "Do you mind if we change the subject?" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Sure." My Mom said. The two of hem devolved into another conversation, but in honesty I wasn't really listening, like my father had describe, Rex's name echos around my mind and wouldn't leave. Why does that sound so familiar?

* * *

A look in Beck's life 

As I mentioned before, Beck's father also drunk heavily. He however was not on the road of recovery like Jade's... he was getting worse with each passing day. It seemed as if he wanted a war, and Beck made it his aim to make sure his dad was the casualty.

"YOU BURNT MY FOOD YOU WENCH!" Beck heard this Dad scream from the house. If Beck could hear it that clearly from his RV at the bottom of the driveway, then his Dad had to have been very mad.

"Not again." Beck gulped, turning off his laptop and putting it on the table beside his bed.

"It's not burnt!" His Mom yelled back, not at all as violently as his dad, but still loud enough for Beck to hear.

Beck grabbed the keys to his house and ran out of the RV and though the front door. "Get away from her." Beck growled at his Dad, who was slowly walking towards his wife, his arm raised threateningly.

"What'd you say to me boy?" His dad turned towards him and pulled back his arm further.

"I said." Beck slowly walked towards them and standing in between them, protecting his Mom. "Get away from her."

"Beck." His Mom said quietly from behind him.

"You ungrateful-" Beck's dad slurred, grabbing Beck's shoulder and pushing him to the ground.

"Please." Beck's Mom tried to stop her husband before he grabbed her hair and pulled her to the ground like he had done with Beck.

"I said GET AWAY!" Beck screamed at his dad, jumping to his feet and tackling his Dad to the ground.

The two rolled around fighting for a few minutes, before the much bigger man had his son pinned to the ground and landed a strong punch to his ribs. "That'll teach you." He spat at Beck, his words still slightly slurred. "Get me a beer woman." He commanded Beck's Mom, before stumbling out of the room.

"I'm so sorry Beck I-" His Mom started, crouching down beside her son.

"Forget it." Beck groaned, making his way to his feet and walking back to his RV.

With one hand pressed against his aching side, Beck walked over to the speaker in his RV and plugged in his phone. After a few seconds of scrolling, the desired song appeared, so he clicked on it. After turning up the volume the song started to play. It was a simple rap and backing that he'd written in the music room at school:

 _Haha_

 _You know it's really quite funny_

 _I used to look up to you_

 _You were my fuckin' idol_

 _But the truth always comes out_

 _I don't even know what to call you anymore_

 _Dad... father_

 _Oh wait but this one's my favourite_

 _Stupid ass mother fucker!_

 _Oh I used to look up to you,_

 _Back when I was young._

 _Before the beer consumed you,_

 _And all was good with Mom._

 _But now I see the real man._

 _The person you've become._

 _I swear to you if you stay here,_

 _You'd better learn to run!_

 _I remember waiting on the school ground._

 _For Mom to take me home._

 _Her eye was black and swollen._

 _The reason for it was unknown._

 _She refused to tell the truth to me,_

 _Said she hit it on the door._

 _Little did I know that you'd just thrown her to the floor!_

 _Why'd it have to be this way?_

 _You used to be my idol,_

 _But since that day,_

 _Things have changed._

 _You got me feeling homicidal!_

 _Don't you ever (don't you ever)_

 _Come near me (come near me)_

 _Or even near to my family_

 _Cause I promise (cause I promise)_

 _I will kill you (I will kill you)_

 _Cause you're dead as a dad to me_

 _And don't ever (and don't ever)_

 _Try to tell me (try to tell me)_

 _You're sorry what you did to me_

 _Cause I promise (cause I promise)_

 _And I mean it (and I mean it)_

 _You don't ever wanna fuck with me_

In a spurt of anger, Beck threw his leg forward and kicked the leg of his table. "I just want him to leave." Beck cried to himself as the music died down in the background. "Please."

 **(A/N Some of the lyrics above were taken from the B-Mike Song 'Dear Dad' but I have heavily adapted it.)**


	5. Chapter 5

Cat POV - End of her work shift at the Cafe.

Tonight was a long one, I don't think I've ever seen the cafe that busy on a Thursday night, we ended up having to get Sammy to help out a little. Not that he doesn't enjoy it, it's just that I hate making him do any form of work while he's so young. Even when he's 14, and we'll still be tight on money I won't make him work. Hopefully before then my singing career will have taken off and we'll be able to afford a nice place to live - but that's a little ambitious.

"You don't have to stay on after your work Cat." Jane told me as I helped her wash the plates in the kitchen of the Cafe.

"It's alright- Sammy can go a few more minutes without eating." I replied. "It's the last I can do for you after everything you've done."

"It's really okay Cat." She smiled at me. "And what about you- you're getting a little skinny my dear."

"I'm fine I swear."

"Here." She handed me a small box of 4 cupcakes from the wrack behind her.

"These are still good for another day." I replied, trying to hand them back to her.

"I'd rather you have them Cat." She smiled at me again. "Take them, and go upstairs." The tone voice was a mix of a stern mother, and a loving Gran. That's actually a pretty good description of her relationship to me and Sammy, out adoptive Gran/Mother.

"Thank you." I smiled back, pulling her into a hug.

"You deserve it."

* * *

"Catty!" Sammy ran over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist as I walked though the apartment door.

"Hey Lil' man." I lifted him up from the ground a few inches, putting the box of cupcakes on the table.

"I'm a kite!" He laughed as I spun him around a little, before putting him down. As soon as his feet hit the ground he ran over to the book he'd been reading and held it up to m proudly. "Look I finished it!"

"You did?" I looked at him, slightly shocked to be honest. That book was almost the size of an encyclopedia and he'd finished it in less than a week.

"Yeah! I know all about dinosaurs now, from Aardonyx's to Zuniceratops'."

"Those are... complicated names." I said, smiling at his excitement. I may not have known what he was on about, but his happiness made me smile. "You hungry?"

"Like a Tyrannosaurus Rex hunting down a Triceratop." He said seriously.

"Oh I know those ones." I said excitedly, pulling my arms close to my body like a T-Rex had. "Tyrannosaurus Rex's are the ones with the little arms, and the Triceratops have the Horn like a unicorn."

"Triceratops have three horns." He replied, recalling the information from his book. "And a a parrot-like beak."

"Really?" I asked, watching his eyes light up. "So what do you want to eat then T-Rex?"

"Chicken Nuggets." He pleaded.

"Sure, as long as you have veg with it." I reasoned.

"Kay kay." He replied.

"Afterwards you can have one of these." I lifted up the box to show him.

"Cupcakes!" He beamed at me. "You're the best Catty! I love you soooo much!"

"I love you too Little man."

"Your phone kept going off by the way." He said suddenly.

"It did?" Cat asked, walking over to where she'd left her phone- it was an old blackberry curve - bet that make's you feel nostalgic. It's all the girl could afford, unlike all her friends who had the new pear-phones. Her messages app had over 50 notifications, and her calls had 12. All the messages had varying degrees of urgency from her friends asking if her brother was okay, and why he needed to be picked up from his school. These messages then progressed into asking if _she_ was okay and why wasn't she answering.

" _Sorry for worrying anyone."_ Cat posted to the gang group chat, which was also full of messages. " _My phone wasn't turning on for some reason -oopsy."_ She put in a 'smiley emoji' and a 'phew emoji'.

" _You really need a new phone."_ Robbie texted back. _"But glad you're alright -thumbs up emoji-."_

 _"This one still works fine."_ Cat replied, she really couldn't afford a new one.

" _Barely,"_ Jade cut in, " _you're almost as bad a Vega when her Pear-phone messed up_."

" _Hey! I can see that!"_ Tori replied.

" _You were meant to."_ Jade sent back.

* * *

No POV, Next Morning at Hollywood Arts

"Hey guys." Cat smiled as she walked into the homeroom she shared with her friends.

"Cutting it a little close don't you think Little Red?" Andre said, looking at the clock. "1 minute till the bell."

"I was stuck in like 20 minutes of traffic." Cat shrugged, normally she's use some far out excuse, but today she was just too tired.

"How far away do you live?" Tori raised an eyebrow.

"You know what LA's like." Cat laughed, ignoring her question and sitting in her usual seat beside Tori

-Brrring brrring- The bell rang, signalling the start of homeroom. Their teacher, who was a lot more normal than Sikowitz, walked into the classroom and sat on his desk. He was a nice teacher, letting everyone sit where they wanted, and he even had large tables which could seat up to 6 people around them for his students to interact with each other while working. The gang obviously sat together on one of these tables and talked with each other during Homeroom.

"How'd you get your phone to work then?" Tori asked Cat.

"My phone?" The red-head furrowed her brow quizzically before remembering. "-oh yeah! I don't know, it just kinda turned on."

"Stupid phone- I called you 5 times." Jade mumbled, before realising what she'd just admitted.

"Jade West caring about someone?" Rex spoke up. "Did Hell just freeze over?"

"Rex." Tori scolded the puppet.

"I can defend myself Vega." Jade snapped, proving herself by reaching across the table to Robbie, where she then grabbed the puppet and threw him across the room.

"Rex!" Robbie yelled, quickly getting up from the table and rushing after his puppet.

"Oof!" Beck grabbed his side which Robbie foot caught on as he'd gotten up.

"You okay Beck?" Tori asked, seeing Beck wince.

"Uhuh." He said through clenched teeth. "I've just got a bruise there." He purposely looked away from Jade as to not give away how he got it. It didn't really work as Jade saw right through his facade.

"We gotta go." Jade said, suddenly grabbing her boyfriend's arm and dragging him away.

"Jade, Beck. Where are you going?" The teacher asked as the two teens left the room.

"Jade left her history book in Beck's car and she needed to go and get it." Cat lied quickly, maybe a little too quickly.

Tori and Andre exchanged concerned looks with each other while Robbie joined them back at the table. "That was a quick lie Lil' Red." Andre pointed out.

"Whaty?" Cat looked at him, faking naivety.

"Just then." Tori said. "You lied."

"I don't lie!" Cat acted offended, still pretending to act innocent to the evens a few moments prior.

* * *

Jade POV

"You promised you'd tell me every time he hurt you!" I growled at my boyfriend as I pulled him into the janitors cupboard.

"He should really start locking this." Beck said, in hope to change the subject.

"Don't try pulling that shit on me." I snapped at him. "I'm hurt that you wouldn't tell me Beck I-"

"Don't play all innocent Jade, you promised you'd tell me everything too. You didn't tell me about visiting your dad until lunch yesterday, if that didn't happen would you have even told me?" He shot back at me.

"Well- I." I stuttered.

"And now we see what happens when Jade West runs out of lies." He sneered slightly, before sudden recollection filled his brown eyes.

"Beck." I tried to calm him. "I know you're angry, I'm sorry but-."

"Oh my god." Beck backed into the corner of the cupboard, shaking. "Oh my god."

"What, what?" I asked, my eyes wide. "What's wrong?"

"That look- that stutter." He said in broken sentence, beginning to hyperventilate. I've known Beck since Middle school and I've never, ever seen him loose his composer like this. "You sounded like my Mom... that's the look she gives _him._ My dad."

"Beck no." I said sternly, turning his face too look at mine, "You will never compare yourself to that man, got it?"

"But Jade I." Tears began to form in his eyes.

"Shh." I shut him up with a kiss. "I love you Beck. You are nothing like your dad. Believe me."

"I believe you." He said back, looking directly into my blue eyes. "And I love you too."


	6. Chapter 6

No POV - 2nd Lesson 

"Hello Children." Sikowitz said, stumbling into the clasroom. "Andre, Robbie on stage."

"Um Sikowitz." Tori spoke up.

"Yes Toro." He said.

"Tori." She correct, cringing. "There is no stage."

"Good Gandhi!" Sikowitz exclaimed. "Where is the stage?!"

"You've walked into the wrong classroom." Jade sighed. "This is Film class."

"Ah yes!" Sikowitz said, bouncing to the front of the classroom. "Your teacher had to unexpectedly leave, so I was asked to watch over you for this lesson."

"Do you know anything about film?" Sinjin spoke up.

"Not at all." Sikowitz said, throwing his body into the teacher's swivel chair and spinning around in it for about 2 minutes.

"Then what do you expect us to do?" Jade commanded suddenly.

"Oh yeah, I'm meant to be teaching you." Sikowitz said, rummaging around the desk for any idea of what to do. "Ahah! A list."

"What does it say?" Tori asked.

"It's a list of names I think. Robbie get up here."

"Okay?" The afro-haired boy said, getting up from his seat.

"I can't read it." He handed the list to Robbie.

"You cant?"

"Don't question it."

"Alright then." Robbie looked at the sheet. "It says 'Groups for Film Project'

Group 1:

Cat

Jade

Beck

Robbie (and Rex)

Andre

and Tori." Robbie stopped reading and was about to hand the list back to Sikowitz.

"What about the other groups?" Sinjin asked.

"Read it yourself." Robbie handed the ginger haired boy the list before turning to his friend group. "Looks like we're working together."

"Whyyyy?" Jade sighed.

"It could be arranged for you to work wit Sinjin and Berf." Sikowitz said.

"Was I complaining?" Jade shot back.

"Yes."

"No I wasn't." She growled, ignoring anything else the man said.

"So what are we meant to do in these groups?" Cat giggled.

"I can't remember." Sikowitz tried wracking his brain for what the film teacher had quickly told him on his way out of the school. After taking a long slip of coconut drink, his eyes lit up. "A film project."

"Nah chiz." Jade mumbled.

"About your home lives." Everyone in the 'Popular Gang' seemed to visibly pale. "He said something about having to work as a group, like a film crew and to record a small documentary of each person's lives. There should be another sheet somewhere. Robbie come back up here and help me look."

"Why me?"

"You've got glasses."

"And that means?"

"Just help me."

"It's here." Robbie said, picking up a pile of sheets labelled 'Junior Class Film Project'.

"Give me that." Jade snatched one from Robbie's grasp and scanned her eyes over it, mentally highlighting key information. _'Learning to work in a film crew. Marks for teamwork, no one person can record their own life. Remember, a film isn't made by only one person, work together. This project will also teach you how to emotionally detach yourself from what you are recording. Some people may her personal or sad information to share in their section, it is the job of the rest of the group to stay professional yet kinda, and learn how to react to the situation.'_

"No privacy then." Cat gulped. By the end of this project, everyone would know her secret.

"So... who's house first then."

"I think Cat's." Jade said, the group was expecting soem snarky undertone in her voice, but in a very out-of character way- Jade was showing sincerity. "Maybe then we'd find out why she's so busy all the time."

"We can't I'm-"

"Busy?" Tori finished for her. "Come on Cat, we're going to find out anyway."

"I work every day after school." She looked at her feet.

"Is that really the big secret you've been hiding from us?" Robbie comforted her.

"It's kinda embarrassing to admit you've been working every weekday since the start of High School."

"Shall we do your on Saturday then?" Beck suggested.

"I work then too." She mumbled.

"No wonder you're always tired." Andre pointed out. "Maybe you should cut the hours down."

Suddenly, Tori realised something. "Cat... do you have money problems?"

Cat's big brown eyes looked up into Tori's, filling with tears, before looking away. "I'll take time off next week. It says its a teamwork project, so I'll need to be there when we film everyone's house."

"We'll chip in some money for you if you need, to cover what you would have earnt."

"No." She shook her head. "I have enough savings to cover it." Money wasn't the problem for her it was that the she worked hours payed for the apartment. Now she'd have to apologise to Jane and Mark, and Sammy would have to take over her shift for the week. This is what happened when she couldn't go to work. It wasn't anyone's fault, just that the Cafe couldn't run with just the two owners- and they couldn't afford to hire anyone else.

"If you're sure Cat." Robbie said. "We'll do my house first then, on Monday?"

"Sure." Beck wrote it down. "That gives us the weekend to sort things out. I'll go on Tuesday" ' _May aswell get it over with.'_

"You next then Vega, it's not like you've got anything to hide." Jade cut in.

"What?" Tori said, looking confused

"Your home life seems to be perfect we're there practically every 2 weeks."

"I'll go Wednesday then." She sighed. _'If only she knew.'_

"I'll go Thursay." Andre offered.

"I'll take Friday then." Jade said.

"Which means Cat, you'll do youre next Monday."

"I really can't take more than a week off of work guys." Cat gulped.

"The films meant to be about your real life- it makes sense to record you on a work night." Beck shrugged slightly.

"Kay kay." Cat said.

"So that's Robbie - Monday; Me - Tuesday; Tori- Wednesday; Andre- Thursday; Jade- Friday; Cat- the following Monday." Beck read out. "I'm sure we can ask to use a school camera and microphone."

* * *

Cat POV

"Sammy." Cat crouched down to her brother's height after the long shift at the cafe. "I'm going to have to ask something very big from you."

"Yes Catty?" He asked, looking up from his new book.

"Next week I can't work."

"Does that mean you'll be here more?" He looked up at his big sister.

"No." She shook her head, watching the joy fall from Sammy's face. "I've got school work, but you're going to have to be a big boy and help out downstairs."

"I don't understand."

"I know. I talked to Mark and Jane and they said that I could take the break and that they'd call one of their grandchildren into help them for a small wage. You might still have to help them with the washing up okay. I need you to sit in the kitchen down there and help out wherever you can. I'm really sorry that I have to-"

"It's okay Catty. You need to break." Sammy hugged his sister tightly.

"If you ever feel overwhelmed or scared, you're going to come right back upstairs. Don't talk to anyone you don't know okay." Cat continued.

"I understand Catty. I love you."

"I love you too Little Man. Mom and Dad would be so proud of you."

* * *

Tori POV

" _You don't have any problems Vega_." I mocked Jade's voice as I paced around my bedroom. " _Tell that to me again when you're mom's left you, when your dad buries himself in work, when you cry yourself to sleep at night, Jade West._ " In a burst of anger, I threw out my arm and punched the wall in front of me. "Ouch." I moaned, flexing out my hand and feeling the pain in my knuckles. " _It's not my choice that this place is the gang hangout zone. And anyway, its only that way cause my parent's are never home, and it's the closest to the school. And guess why they're never home!"_ I slumped onto her bed.

"You alright?" Trina asked, walking into my room. "I heard a loud 'bang'."

"Yeah, I wacked my arm into the wall by accident." I lied.

"Alright." She shrugged. "Dinner will be ready in 10."

"It's my turn to cook." I interrupted. "I was just about to start."

"I know, but I felt like being nice." She smiled at me.

"You feeling nice?" I laughed. "You were just hungry weren't you."

"Is it hard to believe I wanted to do something nice for you - and me." She added as an after thought.

"You _were_ hungry."

"Shut it Tori." She laughed, walking back out of my room. I guess I have that going for me, sisterly love.


	7. Chapter 7

First Monday of the project

No POV

At 4:30 pm, the Gang all met at Robbie's house.

"Hey guys." Robbie invited his friends in, who'd all conveniently arrived at the same time. "Make yourselves comfortable, my parents shouldn't be back from work until 6 so we have the place to ourselves."

"Alrighty." Beck said, carrying in a big camera though the front door, followed by Andre who had a boom mic, headphones and the gear that goes with it.

"Put that down overthere." He pointed to the table.

"No one break any of this." Beck couldn't help but look at Cat. "The school trusted us with thee, and we have to pay for any damages."

"I wont break it." Cat looked at her feet. "I'm not that clumsy."

"No." Beck recovered. "It's all so heavy-"

"So I'm weak?" Cat shot back.

"No-"

"I was joking Beck." Cat giggled, secretly still feeling offended.

"Oh right." Beck said, putting down the camera on the table carfully.

"What now?" Tori said.

"I guess that's down to Robbie." Beck said, looking at the afro- haired boy.

Robbie pulled out his project notebook and sat down on the couch, the set of the gang joined him. "So what should I talk about?"

"What it's like in your life I guess." Tori spoke up. "From birth to now. Anything dramatic happen- that you're okay to share."

"Well, there is one thing." Robbie gulped. "But we'll start at birth first. I've got some baby pictures we could use to set the scene."

"Sure, we could focus the camera on them, and then zoom out to you now." Andre suggested.

"Good thinking." Robbie scribbled down some notes on the idea, before pulling out a few photos of young him ranging from ages 1-5.

"You had those little baby glasses." Tori gushed, laughing at the photo of 2 year old Robbie wearing a pare of blue rubbery baby glasses.

"This one's cute." Cat picked up the photo of 3 year old Robbie running around with his big brother in the garden. Robbie had a water gun and was firing it at his brother's back as he ran away. "Who's this?" She pointed to Rex.

"My brother." Robbie replied.

"You have a brother?" Cat asked.

"Had." He corrected, his mouth suddenly as dry as the Sahara Desert. "Rex died a few years ago."

"Rex? As is your puppet."

"That's who I named him after."

Silently, Beck reached backwards and picked up the camera, turning it on and recording the conversation. Andre turned on the mic and held it above Robbie's head, just out of camera shot.

"What happened to Rex?"

"He was killed when he was 16." Robbie sighed, trying to keep it together. "A car accident."

"What happened?"

"A drunk driver."

Beck focused the camera and zoomed into Robbie's face as he told the story, the group had agreed to record every moment and then edit it out later if they chose to. With all the attention on Robbie, no-one really noticed their already pale Gothic friend, go even paler. Her mind was spinning as she'd connected the dots to who had killed Rex. _It was her father._

"It was soon after his 16th birthday..." Robbie started, running a hand nervously through his hair as he told his friends a secret which he never thought he would.

The more detail Robbie went into about how much he loved his brother, and how much of a great kid he was, the more guilt Jade felt. She mentally decided to never tell Robbie, he wouldn't be able to take it, Jade herself was barely holding the tears and anger back, and Rex wasn't even her brother.

"The man who killed him was a monster!" Robbie near yelled he was full on crying at this point. " _He was."_ Jade mentally agreed. " _He's better now though. I wish I could tell you."_

"I'm so sorry Robbie." She comforted the boy.

"it's okay Jade." Said Robbie, as he wipe is tears away with his sleeve. "It wasn't your fault."

" _If only you knew."_ Jade's thoughts screamed at her. " _If only you knew."_

* * *

"Jade!" Cat called out to her Gothic friend as they left Robbie's house a few hours later.

"Yes?" She replied sharply, spinning on her heel to face the red-head.

"I know what happened." She said quietly, pulling Jade to the side as the rest of the gang walked past them and towards their cars.

"You.. what?" Jade asked, genuinely confused over what Cat was saying.

"I'm not as dumb as you think Jade." Cat cleared up. "You told me about your dad... and I saw your reaction to Robbie story. I know."

Jade suddenly realised what Cat meant, she knew who killed Rex. "Cat, what do you mean?" She said, trying to cover up the truth.

"You're a good actress Jade." Cat said randomly, "But you need to learn to lie with your eyes, I could see the recollection."

"Lie with my eyes? Cat what do you know about lying- you couldn't lie if your life depended on it."

"Couldn't I Jade?" Cat said slowly. "You're not going to tell him are you?" Silently, Jade shook her head, missing what her friend meant by her lying abilities. "He won't blame you if you do, but it's okay." She put a comforting hand on Jade's shoulder. "I'm here if you need to talk."

"Thanks Cat." Jade said, in a very out-of-character small voice.

"Hug?" Cat asked with open arms.

"You know I can't." Jade shook her head. "It'll ruin my cred." She smirk/smiled slightly.

"There's no one here." Cat giggled.

"Vega is." She said, turning around to over to where Tori was sat impatiently in her car.

"How'd you know that without even looking at her?" Cat raised an eyebrow.

"'Cause I've blocked her in." Jade smirked, starting to walk away. "Cya tomorrow Cat."

"Bye." The red-head waved, before climbing into her own car and turning on the engine.


	8. Chapter 8

Beck POV - The following day after school

Everyone will be here any minute and I'm nervous a hell. Jade came straight to mine from school, so she's already here and helping me to clear out the RV. I'm hoping we can record everything in here, but knowing my luck my Dad's gonna create some sort of commotion in the house, bringing everyone attention towards it. I'm really hoping for that to not happen, because I don't want to in danger anyone else due to his drunken rage. There was this one time, where Jade was in the RV with me, and my dad had stormed in demanding something. Jade had stepped in the way and he'd almost back-handed her across the face before I stood between them and took the blow for her. Satisfied with the damaged he caused, my father just smirked and left, I remember Jade being angrier than ever before (which is anger that could rival the Hulk), and in all honestly I didn't blame her.

"Calm down Babe." Jade said to me, placing a hand on my chest and pushing herself onto her tip-toes to kiss my lips.

"I know I know." I said, unable to hide the smile over that kiss. "I love you by the way."

"I know you do." She smirked.

"Why do you do that at every genuine moment?" I laughed slightly at her.

"Because I'm emotionally scarred, obviously." She shrugged.

"You and me both." I shook my head. "You and me both."

"Knock knock." Robbie said as he walked into the RV.

"You're actually meant to knock, not just say it, Pinhead." Jade snapped at him.

"I brought food." He offered forward a bag filled with chips and soda.

"You are forgiven." Jade said suddenly, reaching towards the bag and taking one of the packets of chips.

"So will we be going up to the house or...?" Robbie asked.

"In here." I replied quickly, it was hard to miss the urgency in my voice.

"Then someone should tell Tori." He said, motioning to the opened door. I took a step to the side so I could look out too, and I saw Tori walking up to the house.

"Tori!" I called out to the half Latina. "In here!"

"Oh right!" I heard her say, changing her direction to towards the RV.

"What should we start with?" Robbie asked, sitting on the couch in the RV.

"We've gotta wait until Andre gets here with the mic before we record audio." I explained.

"That'll be a while then." Jade said, looking at the new message on the group chat. "Apparently his Grandma got scared of the vacuum."

"Recording at his house will be fun on Thurdsay then." Robbie joked.

"At least it'll be interesting, unlike here I haven't really got much going on."

"Hey guys." Tori said as she walked into the RV. "Sorry about that, I thought we'd be in the house."

"It's alright, and we;re going to stay in here."

"Won't it get a little cramp?"

"We all managed to nearly over-heat to death in here with more than enough room, I'm sure we'll be fine." Jade rolled her eyes.

"Is that why the doors open? You scared another truck will block us in and make you sweat?" Tori shot back.

"I said never speak of it."

* * *

No POV

"Hey guys!" Cat walked in at exactly the right moment to defuse the tension. "Am I the last one?"

"We're still waiting on Andre." I said.

"Oh yeah!" Cat giggled to herself, sitting beside Robbie on the couch.

"Want any chips?" Robbie offered the bag to the red-head.

"I'm good thank you." She smiled at him.

"You sure?" Robbie pushed a packet into her hands. "You've been getting skinnier recently."

"We aren't here to talk about my weight Robbie." Cat giggled again. "We're here to record Beck."

"Right." Beck pulled out his own notebook. "While we wait for Andre, I guess we can make a plan."

"Anything you want to specifically talk about?" Tori asked.

"Not really?" Beck replied, running his hand through his long locks. "I'm pretty boring."

"You're lying." Tori said, "You run your hand through your hair when you lie." She pointed out. "But I won't press it, how about you talk about why you want to be an actor."

"I guess I can do that." Beck replied, scribbling down a few notes.

"And we could do what you did with me, talk about your young years first, and then how you got into HA."

"Sure." Beck wrote down a little more.

"You and Jade went to middle school together didn't you? You could talk about how you met." Tori asked.

"Yeah with Andre too." Jade nodded. "You and Robbie went together didn't you?"

"Yeah, but we were in different classes." Tori replied. "We didn't talk until I moved to HA."

"Where'd you go Cat?" Robbie turned to the red-head, wondering how he didn't know this piece of information.

"Oh, it's in Florida, you wouldn't know it." She shrugged.

"You lived in Florida?" Jade turned to the girl with a quizzical look.

"I was born there, and it's where all my family live." Cat said nonchalant. "My Dad got a job out here and we moved the week after I finished Middle School." Her words started to fade slightly. Cat hated talking about that time of her life, because 2 weeks after that her Dad died, joining her Mom in heaven.

"How'd you get in HA then?" Beck asked. "The auditions are half way through 8th Grade."

"I know." Cat giggled to try and cover her sudden nerves. "I called in and auditioned the day after I moved. But we can talk about this next Monday, today's Beck's day."

"Hey dudes." Andre unintentionally interrupted as he walked in, carrying the Boom Mic. "We all ready to roll?"

* * *

"I'm Beck Oliver." Beck spoke as Robbie focused the camera on him. "And this is my story, warning it's very boring." He joked. "I was born on 6th February 1995 to my parents Maria and James Oliver." He tried his hardest to not clench his teeth while saying his dad's names. "I was born in Canada, but moved out here after I finished Feeferdoon - in Canada that's what we call kindergarten..."

As Beck talked about his life, it was easy to see that is friends were a little bored. "Well." Robbie said when Beck finished. "All the stuff about why you wanted to be an actor was great." He said honestly, placing down the camera. "But you weren't kidding when you said you've got a boring life."

"I know." Beck chuckled. "Nothing dramatic here."

Aaaand this is where fate decides to mess with things a little. "BECK!" His father screamed, bursting into the RV. "There are cars in the way on the driveway I can't get mine out!"

"That's because I have friends over." Beck replied, trying to stay calm.

"I don't think you should be driving sir." Robbie said suddenly, "It smells like you've been drinking."

"What's it to you shrimp?" He stalked towards Robbie.

"Woah, Dad back up." Beck stood in front of Robbie protectively. "He's right, go home."

"You don't tell me what to do!" His dad screamed in Beck's face. "Or I will wack you one in front of your friends."

Cat silently picked up the camera from her place behind everyone else, using her small statue to hide as she recorded the scene.

"Dad, just go home please." Beck begged.

In response, Beck's Dad raised his hand and smacked Beck across the face and knocking him to the floor, leaving his friends in shock. "YOU BASTARD!" Jade screamed, storming forward.

"Oh Jade, you've grown since I last saw you," He smirked creepily. "How long has it been?"

"I've had enough of this!" Jade screamed, pulling out the scissors that she always kept in her back pocket. "If you lay one more hand on anyone here- you won't have hands."

"Mean words from a pretty girl." He stumbled back, slurring slightly.

"5...4..." Jade started, menacingly stalking forward, using that voice that would make any grown man run ans scream.

"I'll get you later boy." James growled, turning around and slamming the RV door as he left.

"You okay Beck?" Andre asked, helping his mate to his feet.

"Yeah." He sighed, shaking his head.

"I found the dramatic side of your life." Cat spoke up suddenly.

"You recorded all that?!" Beck yelled suddenly.

"Uhuh." Cat nodded, looking to her feet.

"That is not going in our film!" Beck said, reachign foward to grab the camera.

"It's going to the police." Tori cut in.

"No-." Beck stuttered. "I've got it under control."

"Beck." Robbie said, shaking his head. "He just tried to drink-drive. Please, can we take this to the police to stop him from hurting anyone. I don't want another family to go though loosing someone because of that."

"Alright." Beck sighed, gulping loudly. "You'll all come with me?"

"Of course."

* * *

That night, James Oliver was arrested on suspicion of abuse and attempt of drunk-driving. Suspicion is a bit of an odd word for it, especially as the police had proof- but until the court hearing, that's what it's called.

Later on that night, Beck- for the first time in years- slept in the bedroom in the house, finally feeling safe now that the monster was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

Tori POV

Today's Wednesday, which means it's my turn for the group project. GREAT. I've decide, like Robbie, to just bite the bullet and tell everyone that my Mom left, rather than try to hide things like Beck did. I'm not gonna sugar coat my hatred for her either, to me she's just a bitch who had more secrets than Trump's mistress. I've been working on my insults, can you tell? I'm trying to rival Jade.

"You going to be down here when my friends get here?" I asked Trina, who was currently laying across one of the couches.

"Not the whole time." Trina replied, making me sigh loudly. "Hey!" She defended. "I got over my Beck-crush remember, and I promise not to be annoying"

"You can be 'not annoying'?" I teased.

"Oh shush you." She joked back, sitting upright. "I'll go and sit in my room- call me down if you need me."

"Will do." I said back as climbed the stairs and left the room.

"You need a better lock." Jade stated as she suddenly shoved open my 'locked' front door and walked into my house.

"Did you pick the lock?" I exclaimed, rushing towards the door.

"No." Jade lied, putting the slightly bend bobby pin into her hair and walking straight past me.

"You're impossible."

"I like to make an entrance." She sat down on my couch.

"I've gathered." I said back, shutting the front door again.

"Any secrets I'm going to learn about you today then Tori? Or is that not your real name?" Jade smirked.

"It's not." I smirked back, enjoying watching the goth's face drop.

"What?"

"My name's actually Victoria."

"Oh for- I thought I'd be learning something interesting there." Jade rolled her eyes.

"That look was priceless." I laughed, when there was a knock at the door. "See, that's how doors work." I looked pointedly at Jade, who just stuck her tongue out at me.

"Hey." Said Andre and Beck after I opened the door for them.

"So you could give Andre a lift here, but not me?" Jade shot at her boyfriend.

"Andre was giving me a lift, which is why I couldn't take you." He replied calmly, placing down the camera and then walking over to where Jade was sat and wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Don't expect that from me." Andre laughed at me, placing down the Boom Mic.

"I'd be a little confused if you did that." I joked back.

"You're just jealous." Jade spoke up as she snuggled into Beck's shoulder.

"This is normally where Cat would walk in to break the tension." I said, nodding towards the door.

"If Cat actually knocks on-" Beck started before a door knock cut him off.

"Omg!" I squealed, rushing towards the door and pulling it open. "Oh for- Robbie!".

"What did I do?" Robbie sighed as he walked in.

"I thought you were Cat."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Robbie replied with a confused tone.

* * *

No POV

Eventually Cat did arrive, like 10 minutes later than Tori predicted, and the group began the 'Tori' section of their project. For the sake of variation and creativity, the group set up the scene of them sat around Tori's green card table, where they were pretending to play a card game. Each card had something different written on them such as 'childhood', 'parents', 'home', 'siblings', and each time a card was played, Tori would have to talk about it or answer a question based on it.

"Let's start with an easy one." Beck said, placing down the 'siblings' card.

"Obviously I've got one sister, Trina." Tori said into the camera. "Anyone at Hollywood Arts probably knows her."

"How could you miss her?" Jade cut in.

"Trina's a year older than me." Tori continued, ignoring Jade's comment. "Which means she's a Senior at HA. Admittedly, sometimes she really annoying and a bit random, but she'd been by my side though everything and she's the best big sister ever."

"My go?" Robbie asked, looking around the group before placing down the 'childhood' card.

"I grew up here in LA, and I've lived in this house my whole life. Like most Hollywood Kids, I've always liked the Arts, but never considered them as a path for myself- that was until I was offered a place at HA a few years ago. During my childhood- Trina was more of the 'creative' and 'artsy' one who was destined to go to HA, I was more of the brainy one who was going to Sherwood High, but I'm forever grateful that things changed." Tori said.

"Um." Cat mumbled, "I noticed they weren't here so." She placed down the 'parents' card, silently praying that Tori's story wasn't the same as hers.

"Okay" Tori inwardly sighed." My dad's a cop, so he doesn't finish work for another hour or so- and my Mom... she doesn't live here anymore."

"Since when?" Andre asked quietly.

"Just over a year." Tori started looking at her feet at this point.

"Want to share why?" Beck asked, zooming the camera into her face.

"One day, she just left." Tori sighed. "Trina and I came home from school one day to find a note saying she'd left my dad for his work partner. I haven't heard from her since"

"I'm so sorry Tori." Cat comforted the half-Latina, pulling her into a hug.

"It's alright Cat, I'm mostly over it now. She's no mother to me- just a spiteful bitch who thought 'as long as we both shall live' meant until happy hour." Tori spat, making Jade chuckled slightly.

"What?" Jade said to the group, who were currently giving her shocked looks. "I appreciate a good insult."

"Thanks Jade." Tori smiled at the goth. "It's honestly alright guys, I said I was over it."

"If you're sure." Beck said, picking up the next card for her.


	10. Chapter 10

Hollywood Arts- The next day

Andre POV

Music class, my favourite. This year I share the lesson with Cat and Tori, so in pretty much every group project, we've worked together. Which is great, both of them are power-houses when it comes to vocals, pretty much the only problem is that Cat could only work on the projects during the lessons or late at night, which I now know is due to her busy work schedule. Today is one of those in-between-project lessons, where we don't have any real work to do, so the teacher lets us have some free-time in the studios to do covers and develop our musical style though small tasks he gives us to complete.

"Hey guys." Cat said, walking into the studio where Tori and I were sat jamming out with some guitars. "What's today's task?"

"We were waiting for you before we read the sheet." Tori said, picking up the task paper.

"Oh." Cat replied, "Sorry I was using the toilet."

"' _Recently, you have all be producing pop music and developing your style in that genre'"_ Tori read out. _"'of course that is a great style, but in my classes I want you to all to expand your musical outlook and explore different genres. Which is why today I have set you the task to play a cover of an Alternative rock song. Good Luck -_ _Anthony_ _.'_ "

"Alternative rock?" I wracked my brain for any songs we could do. "We could do 'Somebody That I Used to Know' by Gotye?"

"That song's never appealed to me." Tori said back. "What about Panic! At The Disco: Say Amen?"

"You, Tori Vega, like Panic! At The Disco?" I asked, shocked.

"Yes I do actually." Tori said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Got any ideas Cat?" She turned to the red-head, who was now sat by the piano on a small stool.

"Um... I know this one song." She said in a almost inaudible whisper "It's a little sad - but I already know how to play it on piano."

"Sure Lil' Red. What's it called?"

"Slipped Away by Avril Lavigne."

"That is a sad one." Tori replied. "Let's hear it anyway."

Cat slowly raised her shaking hands onto the piano keys and played the four bar intro before starting to sing:

 _"Nah nah, nah nah nah, nah nah_  
 _I miss you, miss you so bad_  
 _I don't forget you, oh, it's so sad_  
 _I hope you can hear me_  
 _I remember it clearly_

 _The day you slipped away_  
 _Was the day I found it won't be the same, oh_

 _Nah nah, la la la, nah nah_

 _I didn't get around to kiss you_  
 _Goodbye on the hand_  
 _I wish that I could see you again_  
 _I know that I can't_  
 _Oh, I hope you can hear me 'cause I remember it clearly_

 _The day you slipped away_  
 _Was the day I found it won't be the same, oh_

 _I had my wake up_  
 _Won't you wake up_  
 _I keep asking why_  
 _And I can't take it_  
 _It wasn't fake_  
 _It happened you passed by_

 _Now you're gone, now you're gone_  
 _There you go, there you go_  
 _Somewhere I can't bring you back_  
 _Now you're gone, now you're gone_  
 _There you go, there you go_  
 _Somewhere you're not coming back_

 _The day you slipped away_  
 _Was the day I found it won't be the same, no_  
 _The day you slipped away_  
 _Was the day that I found it won't be the same, oh_

 _Nah nah, nah nah nah, nah nah_  
 _I miss you."_

As she dragged out the last word, it was hard to miss the pure emotion in her voice, and the shake in her voice added to the harshness. I've never heard her sing so beautifully in all the time I've known her - who knew Cat Valentine had the ability to sing such a sad song.

"That was amazing Cat." Tori smiled at the red-head, wiping away a tear - obviously it had effected her too.

"Thanks." Cat mumbled in appreciation. "I've never played that to anyone before."

"When'd you learn it?" I asked.

"When I was younger- after someone close to me died." She gulped.

"Who?" I asked sincerely - not missing the tear roll down her cheek.

"My... Nonna." She said. For some reason I could sense that it was lie, but a part of my brain told me to not push it- I'd find out who it really was soon anyway on her day of the project.

"I vote on using that song to show Anthony." Tori spoke up.

"Agreed."

* * *

At Andre's house later on

"ANDRE!" His grandma screamed. "A CAR JUST PULLED UP ON THE DRIVEWAY!"

"It's Beck and Jade!" I yelled back, "My friends are coming over remember!"

"OH YEAH!" She screamed back, no longer scared- yelling is just her normal tone. I rushed to the door and opened it before Beck or Jade knocked on the door.

"Hey guys." I greeted them, welcoming them into my house.

"Hi." Jade said harshly, pushing past me.

"Sorry." Beck apologised for his girlfriend.

"I'm used to it." Andre chuckled. "I've know her as long as you have."

"Back in ye olde days." Beck laughed, putting on a fake old-fashioned accent.

"It wasn't _that_ long ago." I replied. "It was only Middle School."

"You two twerps reminiscing again?" Jade cut in.

"Apparently you are with that elementary insult." I shot back, quickly regretting it at because of the annoyed look Jade gave me. A knock at the door cut us off and I opened it to a happy Cat Valentine. "You're really good at that Lil' Red." I said as I hugged her.

"Huh?" She asked in confusion. "Good as what?"

"Stopping tension by arriving at the right moment." I explained

"That's why we keep her." Jade shot in. "Which room are we going to go into then?"

"My bedroom." I pointed to the door at the end of the hall. "So we aren't in my Grandma's way."

"ANDRE!" Grandma screamed.

"Speak of the devil." Jade rolled her eyes.

"THERE'S A GIRL WALKING UP THE DRIVE!"

"That's just Tori!" I yelled back, opening the front door for 'Tori'. "Robbie?" I said, looking at the frizzy haired boy walking up the driveway.

"Hehe." Cat giggled. "Robbie's not a girl."

"You sure?" Beck said to the red-head, jokingly raising an eyebrow.

"What's that support to mean?!" Cat yelled suddenly.

"Hey guys." Robbie said, walking into the house. "You alright Cat?"

"I'm good." She smiled at him, "Let's go to Andre's room to wait for Tori." She suggested.

"Sure." I said, leading the group to my bedroom.

* * *

No POV

"I really don't have an interesting life." Andre shrugged as Beck focused the camera onto him.

"Well something must have happened for you to live with your Grandma." Tori said slowly.

"My parent's aren't dead or anything dramatic like that." Andre cleared up quickly. "They live a 20 minute drive away with my sister, Poppy."

"I think I met her," Tori said, "at the Big Showcase last year."

"You did, she's auditioning to come to HA next year." Andre said.

"So why do you live with your Grandma?" Jade pushed, getting bored quickly.

"You all know she's mentally ill right?"

"No offence," Robbie said. "But it's kinda hard to miss it."

"Well, she basically has a fear of everything and everyone. She needed a carer, so when I was like 14 I offered to help look after her. Reluctantly, my parents agreed, only really because she lived so close to HA so I could walk there rather then them having to drive me each day. She's normal most of the time, just has moments of disillusion and irrationality."

"Why is she scared of everything?" Cat asked, looking at him with innocent enquiry. "If it's okay to ask."

"It's fine." Andre ran a hand through his dreadlocks.

"ANDRE!" His Grandma yelled, making the group simultaneously sigh. "DO YOUR FRIEND'S WANT ANYTHING TO EAT OR DRINK?!"

"See." Andre chuckled. "She can be normal. You all want anything?" He asked his friends, who all shook their heads. "WE'RE GOOD THANKS."

"OKAY!" She yelled back.

"So what happened to her to make her so scared?" Beck asked.

"It all started when I was 8..." As Andre told his story, the groups emotions flickered between sympathy, confusion and empathy. His backstory was certainly a unique one and involved many questions being asked in order for the group to understand it.

"All of that- it isn't your fault Andre." Tori comforted. "You were too young to know- and had no way of even fathoming the outcome."

"I know." Andre sighed. "I just can't help but feel guilty."

"I know how that feels." Jade commented. "Trust me."


	11. Chapter 11

Next Day at Lunch in Hollywood Arts

"Hey guys." Tori said, joining Beck, Jade and Cat at their regular table on the Asphalt Cafe.

"Ughhhh." Jade moaned. "Whhhhyyy?"

"What's up with you?" Tori asked.

"Why did you have to sit with us? No one likes you!"

"What's up with her?" Tori asked Beck, who just shrugged apologetically. "And a lot of people like me thanks."

"I like her." Cat smiled innocently.

"Well no one cares." Jade snapped at the red-head, making Cat's face drop.

"Why would you say that to her? Is there a cactus where your heart should be or something?" Tori said.

"I'm just pissed off." Jade aggressively stabbed her salad.

"Really? I had no idea." Cat said sarcastically, making other three give her a strange look. "Whatie? She added in her normal chirpy voice.

"You just-" Tori started.

"Leave it." Beck sighed, shaking his head at the two girls. "So why are you pissed off Babe?" He asked his girlfriend.

"It's- I'm just really not looking forward to tonight, telling you all my secrets." Jade admitted.

"We all had to do it Jade, its only fair that-"

"Cat hasn't!" Jade snapped.

"It's her turn on Monday." Beck reminded.

"Why can't I do mine on Monday instead." Jade pouted.

"Surely it's better to have it over and done with." Tori reasoned. "Trust me, I've felt so much better after telling you all."

"That's not the problem." Jade mumbled, taking her phone out of her pocket receiving a text message. " _You worried about Robbie working it out?"_ The message said, it was from Cat. She looked up at the red-head and inconspicuously nodded.

"It'll be okay Jadey." Cat smiled.

"Don't call me Jadey."

* * *

Jade thought on it briefly and realised Tori was right, it was better to get it over with , so she told the whole gang to go straight to her house after school.

"Where the hell is Cat?!" Jade growled, pacing back and forth. "The whole point of telling you all to come early was so I didn't have to wait."

"She had to pick up her brother from school." Beck said.

"Why couldn't her parents do that?" Jade growled.

"How would we know?" Tori said back. "Maybe we could just start without her."

"The teacher will notice cause she won't be in the shot."

"We could just say she's behind the camera or something." Andre suggested.

"But then the person who's actually behind the camera wouldn't be accounted for." Robbie pointed out.

"Ughhhh." Jade moaned, for the second time that day. "Logic's a bitch."

-15 minutes later-

"I SWEAR TO GOD!" Jade West screamed suddenly, getting very bored of waiting for the red-head. "If that girl doesn't hurry the hell up, I will personally stab her with a pair of scissors." To emphasise this point, Jade picked up the biggest pair of scissors the group had ever seen from the tabletop beside her and pointed them out in front of her.

"She's have to get here first for you do to that." Tori rolled her eyes, eve she was getting bored.

"How about you don't do that." Beck suggested, putting his hand above Jades and slowly lowering it down.

-Ding dong- "Finally!" Jade said, getting up and opening the door for the redhead, scissors still in her free hand. "You'd better explain yourself Caterina." She pointed the very sharp scissors at the smaller girl.

"Ah!" Cat squealed, covering her face with her hands. "I'm sorry. There was traffic, and I had to talk to my brother's teacher about-"

"Don't tell us." Jade shook her head, not wanting to hear another strange story about Cat's brother.

"Oh." Cat mumbled back, looking sadly at her feet as she walked into the house and sat down beside Robbie.

"Don't be upset Cat." Robbie nudged the red-head. "Go on, tell us what he did."

"Really?" Cat smiled at the curley-haired boy, who just nodded. "He didn't do anything, his teacher was just asking me about what she should do during one of his sensory overloads."

"Isn't that what Austistc kids get?" Tori asked.

"Uhuh." Cat mumbled, looking away.

"Can we just start now?" Jade cut into their conversation impatiently.

"Yeah" Andre said, picking up the boom mic. "I've gotta get home soon anyway."

"Same here." Beck said, turning on the camera and pointing it to Jade. "Start whenever Jade."

"Right." Jade sighed, fixing her appearance slightly by straightening out her shirt. "I'm gonna get straight to it, you may have all noticed I have a pretty closed off personality - don't roll your eyes at me Vega."

"I didnt!"

"It's because, well basically my dad's in jail. And well, that kinda fucks you up a little." Jade sighed.

"Do you mind me asking why?" Robbie said calmly.

"Um... Drunk Driving." She gulped, not meeting his eyes. "And abuse."

"Abuse?" Cat gasped.

"Nothing serious." Jade said suddenly. "Just a few bruises, my Mom was worse off than me. He broke her arm once."

"That's till serious." Tori said quietly. "I'm sorry about that Jade."

"He's better now though." She weakly smiled. "After 5 years of not seeing him, I visited him in jail a few days ago."

"That's good to hear." Andre said behind the mic.

"You're all going to mock me now or something aren't you." Jade didn't meet anyone's eyes.

"Why the hell would we do that?" Tori spoke up.

"I do it to you, you've all got something to use back I'm a prisoner's daughter."

"We would never Jadey."

"Don't call me that Cat!"

"But I like it." Cat pouted.

"I don't." Jade snapped back. "Anyway, I guess that's the only major thing I feel like telling you all."

"You really got nothing else, even the basics like where you were born?"

"Here in LA." She replied sharply. "That's it now. Everyone out." Beck cut the camera suddenly. "I wasn't kidding- I don't want you lot in my house any longer than necessary."


	12. Chapter 12

Following Monday

Robbie POV at 5:30pm

*brrring bring brrring bring* My laptop suddenly erupted with the noise of an incoming video call. "Yello." I said, answering the call.

"Yo dudes." Andre said as he, Tori and Beck's faces appeared on the screen. "No Jade?"

"She's with me." Beck said, leaning to the side to reveal Jade sat behind him. "There was no point in answering both calls.

"I didn't _want_ to answer." Jade spoke up.

"Anyway." Andre said. "I just looked up the adress Cat gave me, and it's quite far away... and its a cafe?"

"She told me, we're meeting her at her work at 6:15 so we can get clips of her last quater an hour working."

"She works till 6:30 each night, straight from school?" Tori asked in slight shock. "Maybe her financial situation is worse than we thought."

"Guess we'll find out soon." I spoke up.

"How much can she really be hiding? It's Cat." Jade said from the back ground of Beck's call ( **A/N It took everything in me to not write 'in the _Beck_ ground'**)

* * *

No POV

The gang walked into the cafe together and sat in a table in the corner. "I don't see Cat in here." Tori pointed out.

"I just saw a flash of red hair go into the back room."

"It's a nice place here." Robbie commented, looking around the quaint cafe.

"I guess so?" Andre looked at him quizzically.

"Hey guys." Cat smiled, walking over to the table. "My shift will be over in like 10 minutes."

"Loving the outfit." Jade looked pointedly at Cat's maroon pinafore and white shirt uniform.

"Oh shut it Jade." Cat snapped suddenly, before taking it back. "Sorry I'm just tired."

"Fair enough." Jade held her hands up defensively.

"I've gotta go serve someone." Cat turned around, walked away, and began serving a lady who was stood at the cafe counter.

"She looks exhausted, why'd you have to say that Jade?" Beck said to his girlfriend.

"Yeah I know it was a low blow, that's why I stopped myself alright." She shot back. "I want a doughnut, I'm gonna go order one." She stood up and walked away from the table and to the counter where Cat was.

"I'll record her being served." Beck started to set up the camera, and pointed it at the two girls after the other lady walked away.

* * *

"Shifts over now." Cat walked over to the table of her friends, noticeably more pale than normal.

"Alrighty." Robbie got up and turned towards the door of the Cafe."

"Not that way." Cat mumbled.

"But that's the door." Jade said, confused.

"I know." Cat smiled weakly. "I live above the Cafe. You need to go though the backroom." The group exchanged a slightly confused look before following the Redhead though the backroom, though a door and up a set of stairs. Beck turned on the camera and pointed it at Cat when they reached the top. "This is my apartment." She unlocked another door, revealing an open lounge/kitchen with 2 rooms leading out of it. "In there is my bedroom and next to that is my brother, Sammy's. There's a shared bathroom in between them.

"Where's your parent's room?" Robbie asked slowly.

Beck zoomed the camera into Cat's face, which faltered slightly at the question. "I'll tell you that in a bit- I need to make Sammy's dinner. Sammy!" She called outto her brother, who walked out of his room.

"Wha- Strangers." He stiffened, pointing a finger at Cat's friends.

"It's okay Sammy, they're my friends. I told you they'd be coming over tonight to film a project." Cat explained.

"They look scary." Sammy rushed to his sister's side and buried his head in her hip.

"They're nice I promise." Cat told him.

"Hi Sammy." Robbie said, crouching down to the boy's level. "I'm Robbie." He stuck out his hand to Cat's brother.

"Hi." Sammy said mergerly, shaking Robbie's hand. "Okay, you're nice."

"Well thank you." Robbie smiled at him.

"I've got to make your dinner Sammy, I can't do that with you on my hip." Cat joked.

"Sorry." He detached himself from his sister's side. "Can I stay out here with you?"

"Sure." Cat smiled back. "Make yourselves comfortable guys."

The gang all awkwardly looked around for a place to sit in the barren room. There was a small two-person table and chair set, and a sofa and old-looking TV. Jade and Beck sat on the sofa, Andre and Tori sat on the table set and Robbie sat on the floor. "Nice boy." Sammy rushed over to Robbie, wielding a big book. "Do you like robots?"

"I'm good with tech if that's what you're asking." Robbie smiled at the 9-year-old who'd sat next to him on the floor.

"No. I'm reading this book about robots." Sammy beamed at Robbie, showing the 300 page book at the older boy.

"You want any help over there Cat?" Tori asked the red-head who was trying to reach a pan from the top shelf in the kitchen.

"I've got it." She replied, climbing onto the counter to reach it. "I'm used to my height by now." She giggled.

* * *

15 minutes later, Sammy was happily eating his plate of meatballs and pasta while the gang was all waiting for Cat to return from her room. "There, I feel better now." She said, walking back out in her normal clothes and sitting on the floor opposite the group.

"Now you've finished playing mom." Jade spoke up, nodding to Cat's brother. "Are you gonna tell us where your actual mom is."

"That's mean." Sammy spoke up, slurping some pasta. "Cat's a good mom."

"Wait, he is you _brother_ right?" Tori said in shock.

"Oh god, of course he is- he just calls me that sometimes." Cat cleared up, blushing.

"Why though?" Andre asked, lowering the mic to be above Cat's head, while Beck turned on the camera.

"My mom... she's dead." Cat looked at the floor awkwardly.

"Holy chiz-" Jade blurted "Cat, I didn't-"

"Its okay." Cat shook her head.

"How did she die?" Robbie asked, placing a comforting hand on the redhead's knee.

"Leukaemia."

"It's cancer of the bone marrow." Sammy finished for his sister.

"She got it when I was 8, Sammy was only a few months old." Cat choked out, tears falling down her face. "She died a year later. That's why Sammy called me that, I'm the closest to a Mom he knows."

"I miss her." Sammy said suddenly, discarding his meal and cuddling up to his sister.

"Me too Little Man." Cat smiled weakly to her little brother.

"What about your dad?" Beck spoke up from behind the camera.

"Have you really not told them Catty?" Sammy said. "I thought they were your friends."

"We are her friends." Tori cut in. "Cat what happened to your Dad?"

"When we moved out here- from Florida- Dad got a new job. A few weeks later, his building caught alight." Cat's voice caught in her throat. "He made it out okay." She said, making the group sigh in relief. "But then he heard someone inside the building screaming, so he ran back in again... they never found his body- he was incinerated by the fire."

"Cat." Tori's voice came out in a strangled sob, tears flowing down her own face from her friend's story.

"That's why I work two jobs- to support us."

"The cafe owners gave us this apartment." Sammy spoke up- still sat on his sister's lap. "But they normally use the rent to fund the cafe- so to try and make up for it, Cat works downstairs for no pay."

"I get money from my Saturday job to pay for food and essentials." Cat explained, wiping away her tears.

"Don't you have any family to live with?" Andre asked.

"They all live in Florida or Italy." She dismissed. "Same with Dad's friends. I didn't want to loose what my place at HA, and Sammy had just made new friends, so I worked to stay here."

"I'm so sorry Cat." An unusually quiet Jade spoke up. The gang turned to her and saw the tears streaking down her face. Jade West never cried- so this was rare.

"It's okay Jade." Cat sighed, "We're doing okay."

"This isn't okay Cat. You should have asked for help." Jade cried out.

"I don't need help."

"Like hell you don't!" Jade yelled suddenly. "Look- my Mom makes enough money to provide for half of LA."

"Lucky you." Sammy cut in."

"What I'm trying to say is." Jade sighed. "I want you to hand the key to the Cafe owners and move into my house.

"What- Jade I can't do that."

"You don't have a choice. You can't live like this." Jade replied stubbornly.

"We have enough to get by, I've got savings for Sammy's university, we have food, a roof."

"What about your university Cat?"

"Sammy comes first." She smiled weakly, her brother snuggling into her side more. "I want him to get everything he deserves."

"And what about you Cat? What do you deserve."

"Better than this." Robbie cut in. "You deserve the world Cat."

"Thanks." Cat smile's smiled broadened. "If I take your offer," Cat started stubbornly. "I want to still work my Saturday job- I'm going to pay for his university."

"As long as I know you're safe and looked after at mine, I don't care." The goth stated.

"I'm sorry." Tori cut in suddenly. "This is all so touching, but where the hell has this sincerity come from Jade?"

"Shut it Vega."

"And she's back." Cat giggled slightly.

* * *

Annnnd that's the end! Thanks for reading guys :D Please Review- it's much appreciated.


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